6 Stress-Busting Travel Items I Never Leave Home Without - Christine Kane

When I was a musician, I was on the road 200+ days a year.  I’d return from my epic road trips strung out on Pringles and looking like Keith Richards.  I’d crash hard into many extra hours of sleep to get myself back on track.

Even though I don’t travel nearly as much now, I’m still on the road for events, masterminds, and other engagements.  The truth remains: Travel can be hell on your health, appearance and energy levels.

So, why does it matter?

As an entrepreneur, your energy level is everything.  You don’t have the option of blowing off a day here and there.  Taking care of yourself is non-negotiable.

Most people dismiss the toll that airplanes,  environmental toxins and processed food can take on performance.  Flying, long car rides, hotel rooms, eating out can all send your health into a tailspin.

You gotta be a diva when you travel to keep yourself energized and performing at your best. How you plan your trip and how you prepare in advance for travel can make the difference.  To help you travel for high performance in your business, here are six items I never leave home without.

1. Electrical Tape

T.S. Wiley, author of the book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Health says “the light bulb is the ultimate endocrine disrupter.”  What this means is that even if your eyes are closed, light disrupts your body’s ability to heal itself during sleep.

After learning this, I became a devotee of sleeping in a pitch black room.  This means I seek out hotels that use uber-heavy window coverings. (The higher level Marriott hotels use light blocking curtains.)

But what about the issue of the lights IN your room?

You know what I mean, right?  You turn out the lights, hit the mattress, and suddenly feel like you’re surrounded by jawas.

There’s the little red light blinking on the ceiling smoke detector. Then you roll over, and see a blue light glowing from the TV power switch. Switch sides, and your clock is shining  green numbers at you.

This is no good for sleep. Countless studies have proven that unnatural light patterns interfere with sleep, leaving you wired, tired and even depressed.

Not anymore.  Now that you travel with your pack of handy-dandy electrical tape, you take back the control.

stress-busting travel items

First order of business when I get to any hotel room is to put electrical tape on any glowing light I can find.

Before you climb into bed, take stock of your room. Cover up the blinks and glows. Fasten the drapes tight to the walls.   (Yes, even if it means leaping to the ceiling with an umbrella to stick the tape onto the smoke detector!)

2. Activated Charcoal

When you travel, you’ll be eating out at restaurants or consuming catered food or scrounging for whatever snack you can find in an airport or gas station. (Avoid this! See #5.)

Changes in your diet create chaos with your health and energy, especially if you generally eat clean, like I do. The sudden influx of processed food, oils, and drinks can zap you in ways you can’t imagine.

So, if you were to grab my purse and rifle through it, you would discover a mini-container these weird-ass little black dusty capsules in it”¦my trusty supply of activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal works through a process called adsorption. It actually binds to the toxins or other chemicals that you don’t want in your body – toxins from things like processed foods, alcohol and even environmental toxins – and moves them out of your system.

Emergency rooms have used activated charcoal for years to treat poisonings and overdoses.  My favorite kind:  Upgraded Coconut Charcoal capsules from Bulletproof Executive.

3. Heart Rate Variability Monitor

Heart-rate variability (HRV) defines the amount of time between your heart beats.  When you are stressed out, your heart beat becomes regular and robotic.  Science shows that people with high variability – or varied lengths of time between beats – are less stressed out and healthier overall.

Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, compares it to music – a perfectly timed drum beat is almost robotic and unnatural. “There’s no soul in it,” he says.

So why would I travel with my trusty little HRV monitor?

Well, it’s tiny. It plugs right into your phone. And it trains you to be aware of and control your stress levels through your breathing.  Ten minutes a day is all it takes to gain control of your knee-jerk reactions to stressors.  Life-changing.

 

This is what my stress levels look like right after I board a plane.

This is what my stress levels look like right after I board a plane.

 4. My Uplevel Sigg Bottle

Plastic water bottles contain chemicals that disrupt your hormones.  I never leave home without my Sigg bottle. Bottles made of stainless steel or  glass won’t leach chemicals into the water you’re about to drink!  There’s lots of studies out there, and medical doctors like best-selling author Sara Gottfried constantly warn us women that chemicals from plastic containers can increase our risk for infertility, miscarriage and other reproductive issues.

My Uplevel Sigg Bottle

By using a safe bottle, not only will you protect your delicate hormone system from chemicals like BPA, you can Uplevel the planet by not adding more plastic to the nearly 50 billion plastic water bottles Americans use every year.  (Only one in five of those is recycled!)

5. Macadamia Nuts and Avocado

In the low-carb world, there are all kinds of folks who advocate eating lots of fat and then skipping an entire day of food while you travel in order to avoid the toxic airport offerings.

Try as I may, I can’t skip eating all day no matter how much fat I consume.  So I pack my go-to snacks:  macadamia nuts and avocado! (Both are non-messy – and high in fat which keeps you satiated longer!)

So why not just grab a pack of nuts at a convenience store or airport kiosk?

Here’s one reason:

Most people don’t know that food manufacturers only have to list MSG if it’s used to enhance the flavor of food, but not if it’s a processing agent. So that snack that boasts “No MSG” on the label could actually still have a small amount of MSG!   This means that if you are like me and have an MSG intolerance, you could end up with a massive migraine in a matter of minutes after consuming just trace amounts of it.  (Plus any of the other chemicals used in processed foods.)

6. Bonus Ninja travel weapon – The Myers Cocktail

Okay, so you can’t exactly add this to your carry-ons – but you can have it coursing through your veins!

Before I take any long flight or head out to do a multi-day mastermind or speaking event – I get my doctor to hit me with a Myers Cocktail.  A Myers cocktail is given by an intravenous drip – and contains mega doses of vitamin C, magnesium, minerals and B vitamins.  (Add in glutathione for an extra hit of help for your immune system.)

Got any stress-busting travel tips to add?  I’d love to hear about them”¦ leave them in the comments below.

 

10 COMMENTS ADD A COMMENT
  • Chrissie D

    18 months ago I wound up sick with a stomach bug at a conference as I was trying to get home to see my father-in-law who was then on hospice. It was sudden and I was unprepared. I’m not a very practical person by nature so it’s more important that I pack the heels and jewelry and multiple outfits. I got through with the help of my roommie and good friend who is far more practical than I am!

    However, lesson learned. A few months later at the next conference I made sure I had a whole separate Vera bag packed with meds, tea, oatmeal packs and more. In a way though I went from one extreme to another because I was so worried about being without TUMS the second time around that all my energy was focused on those items and not the items that make me, me. (Like the flat iron I forgot).

    So now I keep this one little Vera bag stocked with basics and it gets moved around from bag to bag as needed, and on every trip and doesn’t require much upkeep.

    I bring my own water bottle, my own cooler too now and try to hit a local grocery store once I arrive. If I’m staying at an AIrbnb, it’s easier to make food and pack it, although it can be done with a little creativity in a hotel room and the mini fridge and the ice machine.

  • Nelu Mbingu

    Hi Christine!

    Though I’m not a frequent traveler myself, I can see that these are very convenient items to have. And I’m sure many of us wouldn’t even think of them when we pack our bags. So thanks for the reminder (I’ll be saving the list for later 🙂 )

    Cheers,
    Nelu

  • Dawn Durocher

    I always bring a small sewing kit you have no idea how many times I have used it LOL! Love the tips and so glad I stumbled across your website today!

  • David Tifft

    Thank You for The List, I like it. I would add a 7th thing, your Bible.

  • Marsha Stopa

    Having suffered from seasonal affective disorder, I’m highly conscious of needing a totally dark room to sleep in and usually take a sleep mask with me when I travel. The electrical tape is brilliant, as is the charcoal.

    But avocado? It can be one of the messiest foods for me to cut and eat. Do you have a trick, Christine? Please tell! 🙂

    Cheers,
    Marsha

    • Christine Kane

      Marsha – haha! I always select the ones that aren’t too ripe – and i put them in a paper bag – and pack in my suitcase. (I can definitely recall a lowly avocado that was in my purse and ended up all over everything when my keys punctured it.) When i eat it, i cut it in half lengthwise, and then slice horizontally – and scoop out. salt, lemon – and a fork 🙂 It’s not something i can do “on the run” – but it’s great in hotel rooms when i’m just unpacking and have to head out quickly.

      • Marsha Stopa

        Got it! Will try that next time.

        Thanks for clearing the weird image I had of you biting into a ripe avocado…

  • Susan

    Through a recent hormone test I learned that I don’t go into a deep enough REM sleep. My doc suggested I start taking 1 of these Pro-Cortisol Balance tablets 1 hour before going to sleep (http://amzn.to/1mHDHOG). I’ve been sleeping deeper than ever and have tons more energy for the day. I sleep less and am more rested and alert. It’s in my travel bag as I’m on my way out the door.

  • Gloria

    I’m not keen on traveling but when I do I try to keep to my core practices which keep me healthy. I bring organic apple cider vinegar with me and have a tablespoon in warm water each morning. I practice Kapalbhati pranayama every morning, it’s the most powerful de-stressing tool ever cleansing both the mind and body. My latest favorite gadget is a Beastie ball. It’s portable self myofacial release tool. It goes with me everywhere. http://betterfitnessproducts.com/rumbleroller.html#13h

  • whitney bishop

    Noise cancelling headphones and earplugs. Noise pollution during travel is intense. Being able to control the input I receive helps me to stay calm, cool, collected and happy. Favorite playlists of music that soothes my soul to go with the headphones. Earplugs for when I want to eliminate all the noise!

    Meditation app – being on a plane or in a hotel room, or waiting for my nails to dry at the salon is a great time to fit in a meditation session

    Bulletproof – Unfair Advantage

    Journal & a Pen…. letting my imagination fly and capturing the magic.